


Just Stay With Me Forever

by Kamechan98



Series: Stony Prompts [1]
Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-21 16:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18706396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamechan98/pseuds/Kamechan98
Summary: “Prompt: Do you want me to leave?”Having lived in the 21st century for a few years now, Steve could say with his hand on his heart that things were better here. There was so much better food, information was easy to come by, he'd built himself a nice, kooky, only slightly dysfunctional little family since the Battle of New York.And then, of course, there was Tony Stark, who’d managed to break through Steve’s tough walls and sneak his way into his heart. Tony Stark, who Steve loved with all his heartSo yeah, living in the future wasn’t so bad anymore.Still, that didn’t mean he didn’t have bad days...





	Just Stay With Me Forever

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first Avengers fic. I have been writing stuff on Fanfiction.net before, but it's all Ninja Turtles stuff so I’m still new to this fandom as far as writing goes. So I figured, in order to work on getting better writing in this fandom, I'd write a series of one-shot prompts that I found on Tumblr, sort of like a writing exercise, and please be nice on me if it turns out terrible. 
> 
> I would just like point out that, while I am pretty good with English (Got A's in my English classes in high school!) I am not native to America or any big English speaking country. So if I get anything wrong, whether it be the language or laws or whatever else in common knowledge in America, please let me now, I’m more than willing to learn.

**“Prompt: Do you want me to leave?”**

* * *

 

Having lived in the 21st century for a few years now, Steve could say with his hand on his heart that things were better here. There was so much better food, no need to boil everything and spare every little crumb you could find because of lack of money, though the habit to save food and not waste too much food still hadn’t really left him, and probably never would. God, he would never get over the wastefulness of this century. Polio being almost entirely gone and vaccines preventing it was fantastic, and of course the Internet. Nowadays information was so much easier to come by these days, much better than having to look everything up in books or newspapers.

Seriously, thank God for Google.

But the best part of this new future was without a doubt his new friends and this kooky, slightly dysfunctional little family they had built together since the Battle of New York. And sure, they had been awkward around each other at first, even after Tony had generously opened up his home to them all with suits made to suit them all individually and doing all he could to make them feel at home. It had taken time for them all to feel comfortable around each other, to feel like friends more than a group of very different and strong-willed people forced to work together. But, against all odds it seemed, they’d eventually managed to make a connection and become a team. And Steve was really thankful that they were now seeing him less like Captain America; Legendary Hero and American Symbol, and more like Steve Rogers, the kid from Brooklyn who liked to try new foods, movies and books, had a dry sense of humor and wasn’t anywhere as sensitive and delicate concerning homosexuality or feminism or other such political subjects that seemed taboo these days.

Natasha and Steve in particular had become really close. Natasha still had moments of acting cold, to all of them besides Clint really, but they both found things to bond over, as they both felt a little isolated in the world due to their pasts, and while she obviously knew more about the 21st century than him, they could sit and talk about books, movies, pop culture, history, politics and other subjects that helped Steve learn more about this new world.

Bruce was fairly easy to befriend. Just as long as you didn’t go out of your way to provoke him, disturb him while he was working in his lab or mess with his personal items, he was friendly enough and probably the most patient with Steve when he didn’t understand a reference or asked too many questions about a subject, which something he could definitely spot in even Natasha’s unreadable facial expressions at times. He also started to relax more around them all and seemed much more comfortable and secure in his own skin than he had been when they’d first met on the Helicarrier.

Clint was Clint. He, just like Tony, had moments of being inappropriate and rude and kind of an ass. He liked to pull pranks on his teammates and sometimes didn’t think before he spoke, but he was a very good friend. While he had taken more a shine to Tony and Thor, and he and Natasha clearly had a strong relationship even before they joined the Avengers, he and Steve got a long pretty well. And he had certain brutal honesty that Steve appreciated from time to time; given how some people still seemed to walk on eggshells around him when trying to explain things to him. Clint had treated him like he treated everyone around him, right from the start. Steve very much appreciated this.

Thor was very easy to like. It seemed everyone on the team seemed to like Thor, almost impossible not to enjoy his company. There was just something in the way he talked and acted, with such a passion and genuine joy that it sometimes left Steve wondering if Thor was a God or a golden retriever that somehow had turned into a human. He was always enthusiastic about learning more about ‘Midgardian culture’ and took genuine interest in everything that he found, from video games to movies to Skype, so he could remain in contact with his ‘ Dearest Lady Jane’ while she was still working in New Mexico. And in all honesty, it felt good that there was someone else on the team who still had things to learn about this world, and not just Steve. It gave him someone to talk to about it and discuss new things with who understood.

And then, of course, there was Tony Stark. To say that he and Tony had gotten a rocky start would be an understatement. Even after they apologized for their harsh words on the Helicarrier, there was just something about Tony that had rubbed Steve the wrong way. There was just something about his attitude, this air of I-don’t-give-a-fuck that irked him a little. That Tony seemed to think he could do whatever he wanted and didn’t care about the consequences. That he didn’t have to listen to orders or directions or ideas from others, because ‘Fuck you, I’m Tony Stark, I do whatever I want’. And it didn’t help that they were oil and water and would get into arguments after every mission.

But, as time went on and they got to know each other better, he started to see Tony, rather than Tony Stark. The Tony who was caring and loyal and generous, just as he was infuriating and obnoxious and an asshole. Who had kept everyone at arm’s length for weeks and had taken a bit of coaxing to bring out of his shell, but tried so hard to hide that he was nervous or unsure around them all. Who tried so hard to hide that was caring and generous and kept up a façade of unlikable, narcissistic asshole who wasn’t a team player, despite ample evidence to the contrary.

Tony Stark who’d, despite Steve’s many attempts to make the stubborn bastard leave him alone to wallow in his own pain and anger and grief by his lonesome, refused to take no for an answer and stubbornly kept at it and eventually managed to break through Steve’s tough walls and sneak his way into his heart.

Tony Stark, who Steve loved with all his heart.

So yeah, living in the future wasn’t so bad anymore.

Still, that didn’t mean he didn’t have bad days. Days when he’d wake up from nightmares about the ice, the dark cold surrounding him and leaving him unable to breathe. Nightmares of Bucky falling off the train and to his death in the mountains, just barely missing Steve’s hand trying to catch him and save him. Or dreams of Peggy and how his life could’ve looked like if he hadn’t been forced to fly the Valkyrie into the ice and had been able to try to have a life with her. Or if he’d just been able to live in the 40’s if the war had never happened at all. Maybe he could’ve just gone to art school, gotten a job drawing comics or something, met a dame and they could’ve had a simple life together. No fighting in a war, no super-soldier serum, no crashing into the ice and being thawed out against his will several decades later. No being forced to live in a world that wasn’t his anymore. And after he woke up from these dreams or nightmares, the dark thoughts barging in uninvited into his brain and wouldn’t leave him alone, sometimes for days on end.

On days like that, when he’s dark thoughts just refused to leave him alone, he’d spend them one of two ways. Either he’d stay in his room and refuse to come out, even for food or water, or he’d be in the gym for hours on end to try and fight off those invasive thoughts, until the equipment broke or he collapsed from hunger or physical and mental exhaustion. Usually both.

His friends, to their credit, tried their best to help him when he had these days. Natasha and Bruce had been very vocal about him talking to a doctor and maybe getting some anti-depressants or other medication or help to deal with these thoughts better, and Clint and Thor tried their best to pull him out of his funks by trying to include him in fun games or activities, like playing video games, watch movies or try to play games with the whole team. And while Steve appreciated their attempts and intentions, he usually just wanted to be left alone one days like these, and sometime the team just didn’t seem or want to understand.

That was except for Tony.

Tony, more than most people, understood the feeling of wanting to be alone with your thoughts and distracting yourself or dealing with them in your own ways, on your own terms. That when you have dark thoughts or felt depressed to the point of not wanting to eat or get out of bed, the last thing you want is for people to shove their advice or help down your throat or try to drag you away from your feelings. Now, that didn’t stop him from bringing him food to their room or the gym and drag him away from whatever he was doing so he could at least eat a sandwich or a few slices or pizza or some soup, or even coaxing him into coming out of join the team for movie night or dinner, just to distract him from his thoughts, if only for an hour or so. And once Steve was out of his funks and ‘functioned properly again’ he’d say that Steve’s coping mechanisms weren’t healthy and he might need help, but at least then, he were a little bit more open to the ideas, if only a little.

And truth be told, Tony was the only person- except Natasha _maybe_ \- who could successfully get him out of these funks, if only for a short moment at a time. And while he had learned when to back off when Steve said no and didn’t push until Steve lashed out- that had happened once or twice and Tony knew Steve desperately didn’t want to hurt anyone, least of all him- Steve had a certain weakness for Tony. That’s not to say that he always agreed, sometimes he just wanted to be left alone, with Jarvis playing music he recognized from his time or movies from his time and maybe eat some ice cream or candy while doing it.

Though sometimes… well, very often actually, Tony would stay with him. He’d join him in the gym, either to work out himself or just to keep Steve company or sit down next to Steve on their bed, cuddle up to him and stay there for as long as Steve wanted him to. Which, nine times out of ten, ended with both of them falling asleep in each other’s arms. Sometimes, if they were watching a movie, they’d fall asleep before it was over.

It had happened so many times at this point that it was almost like they followed a script, like the words needed to be said, if only because they always said them, but they weren’t needed anymore. Whether it be when Tony woke up beside him while he was crying, or came in with a tray of food for him while he was listening to Sinatra, or when he was pounding the stuffing out of his punching bag in the gym with a snack and some water, Tony always seemed to know when Steve would want him to stay or go, but he always asked, regardless if he knew what the answer would be.

“Do you want me to leave? Do you need to be alone right now?”

And Steve’s response was often, if not always, to pull Tony into his arms and hold him, tight enough to feel him against his own body, warm and real and alive, but always careful so he wouldn’t hurt him. He’d kiss his boyfriend’s cheek, nose, eyelids, hair and everything else he could reach, and then press his face into the crook of Tony’s neck and whisper as the tears started to fall.

“No. Just… please, stay with me Tony. Stay with me.” Tony always nodded into his neck and tightened his hold around his shoulders.

“Always. I’ll stay exactly for as long as you want me too.”

Steve usually doesn’t respond with anything after that; only tightens his grip on Tony and lets himself cry into his boyfriend’s shoulder. But he always thinks the same time.

_‘Stay with me forever, honey. I love you so much, and this future wouldn't be half as bearable without you.’_

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, that’s that. I really hope you like it and I hope to give you more very soon.


End file.
